Cost Convergence between Public and For-Profit Hospitals under Prospective Payment and High Competition in Taiwan

Authors

Sudha Xirasagar,

Herng-Ching Lin

Address correspondence to Herng-Ching Lin, Ph.D., School of Health Care Administration, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wu-Hsing St., Taipei 110, Taiwan. Sudha Xirasagar, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., is with the University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, Department of Health Services Policy and Management, South Carolina.

This study is based in part on data from the National Health Insurance Research Database provided by the Bureau of National Health Insurance, Department of Health, and managed by the National Health Research Institutes. The interpretations and conclusions contained herein do not represent those of the Bureau of National Health Insurance, Department of Health, or the National Health Research Institutes.

Abstract

Objective. To test the hypotheses that: (1) average adjusted costs per discharge are higher in high-competition relative to low-competition markets, and (2) increased competition is associated with cost convergence between public and for-profit (FP) hospitals for case payment diagnoses, but not for cost-plus reimbursed diagnoses.

Data Analysis. Diagnosis-wise regression analyses were done to explore associations between cost per discharge and hospital ownership under high and low competition, adjusted for clinical severity and institutional characteristics.

Principal Findings. Adjusted costs per discharge are higher for all diagnoses in high-competition markets. For case payment diagnoses, the magnitudes of adjusted cost differences between public and FP hospitals are lower under high competition relative to low competition. This is not so for the cost-based diagnoses.

Conclusions. We find that the empirical evidence supports both our hypotheses.